A silver lining
CAtrionA ElisA MAgnAyon grAy on Monday bagged the fourth Miss Universe crown for the country, just three years after Pia Wurtzbach won in 2015. gloria Diaz paved the way in 1969 and Margie Moran was crowned in 1973. throughout the pageant, Miss Philippines overshadowed 93 other candidates as she created the biggest tsunami all over social media through her mesmerizing walk.
During the swimsuit competition, Catriona mesmerized the universe with her now legendary “lava walk,” which was viewed by more than 2 million people on YouTube. Her performance caught the attention of Vogue, an international fashion and lifestyle magazine, which predicted that Catriona might be the next big thing in the modeling world.
On her first appearance on the Miss Universe stage at the start of the coronation ceremonies in Thailand, Catriona acknowledged the support of her countrymen by telling host Steve Harvey how she would write a song titled “Raise Your Flag” because she was “not standing as one but as the 104 million Filipinos.”
Filipinos who followed the final question-and-answer portion can’t help but feel proud of her grace, confidence and intelligence. Host Steve Harvey asked the top 3 finalists to name the important lesson they have learned in their lives and how would they apply it should they become Miss Universe. Catriona was at her articulate best: “I worked a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila; and the life there is very... it’s poor, and it’s very sad. And I always taught myself to look for the beauty in it—to look for the beauty of the faces of the children; and to be grateful.”
She added: “And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with the silver lining. And to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. And this, I think if I could teach also people to be grateful we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces.”
Catriona’s triumph at Miss Universe 2018 is a memorable Christmas gift for most everyone as it stoked Filipino pride, particularly when she said: “I may now carry the sash of Miss Universe, but I’ll forever be your Miss Philippines.”
As words of congratulations continue to pour in after her Manila arrival on Wednesday, little did the new Miss Universe know that her words in the penultimate question-and-answer portion has ignited a debate in the country. She was asked about her stand on marijuana legalization, and she said that she supports its legalization solely for medicinal purposes.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said he is open to tackling the proposed legalization of marijuana for medical use. The senator explained: “I have been open to it because if it will prolong the lives, ease the pain of those cancer patients and those in pain, and relieve their agony, why not?”
At the Lower House, some lawmakers believe that the statement of the new Miss Universe regarding the use of medical marijuana may help in the passage of a pending measure. Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo, one of the authors of House Bill 6517, said cannabis may help patients with severe seizure, muscle aches and others. The proposed bill has already been approved at the committee level.
Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde, however, cautioned: “If medical marijuana is legalized in the country, law-enforcement agencies should ensure that it’s not abused. If we pass a law on that, we need to implement the law strictly, and we should always try to see if it could be abused, especially its entry, its importation.”